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Elevated rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses, and autistic traits in transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Greenberg, David M 
Buckingham, Clara 
Smith, Paula 

Abstract

It is unclear whether transgender and gender-diverse individuals have elevated rates of autism diagnosis or traits related to autism compared to cisgender individuals in large non-clinic-based cohorts. To investigate this, we use five independently recruited cross-sectional datasets consisting of 641,860 individuals who completed information on gender, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses including autism, and measures of traits related to autism (self-report measures of autistic traits, empathy, systemizing, and sensory sensitivity). Compared to cisgender individuals, transgender and gender-diverse individuals have, on average, higher rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses. For both autistic and non-autistic individuals, transgender and gender-diverse individuals score, on average, higher on self-report measures of autistic traits, systemizing, and sensory sensitivity, and, on average, lower on self-report measures of empathy. The results may have clinical implications for improving access to mental health care and tailoring adequate support for transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

Description

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Autistic Disorder, Confidence Intervals, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Odds Ratio, Self Report, Transgender Persons, Young Adult

Journal Title

Nat Commun

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2041-1723
2041-1723

Volume Title

11

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (214322/Z/18/Z)
Autism Research Trust (unknown)
Wellcome Trust Templeton World Charity Foundation Autism Research Trust